Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Shelby County, Tennessee

57 tornadoes have crossed Shelby County since 1950, 1st of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 16 people and injured 264. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
57
Deaths
16
Injuries
264
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, December 14, 1987

The deadliest in Shelby County

  1. F3, Crittenden and Shelby counties, Arkansas and TennesseeDecember 14, 19876 killed, 121 injured
  2. F3, Shelby and Tipton counties, TennesseeApril 3, 19684 killed, 32 injured
  3. F3, Shelby and Fayette counties, TennesseeNovember 27, 19943 killed, 25 injured
  4. EF2, DeSoto and Shelby counties, Mississippi and TennesseeFebruary 5, 20083 killed, 13 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Shelby and Tipton counties, TennesseeApril 3, 1968F3, 28.8 mi (46 km)
  2. F3, Crittenden and Shelby counties, Arkansas and TennesseeDecember 14, 1987F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  3. F3, Shelby County, TennesseeApril 24, 1970F3, 17.0 mi (27 km)
  4. F3, Shelby and Fayette counties, TennesseeNovember 27, 1994F3, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  5. F3, DeSoto and Shelby counties, Mississippi and TennesseeApril 24, 1970F3, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  6. F3, Shelby County, TennesseeApril 24, 1970F3, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  7. F3, Shelby County, TennesseeApril 21, 1984F3, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. EF2, DeSoto and Shelby counties, Mississippi and TennesseeFebruary 5, 2008EF2, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  9. EF2, Shelby and Tipton counties, TennesseeFebruary 5, 2008EF2, 8.1 mi (13 km)
  10. F2, Shelby County, TennesseeMarch 4, 1964F2, 7.6 mi (12 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 31 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Shelby County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20191EF1
20141EF0
20101EF1
20092EF1
20084314EF2
20061F1
20041F0
19991F1
19951F0
19943325F3
19921F0
19912F1
19893F2
19881F0
198716121F3
198413F3
19831F1
19821F2
197913F2
1978126F2
19734F2
19721F1
1970627F3
19691F1
19686432F3
196742F1
19661F1
196423F2
19561F1
19551F2
195018F1

Every tornado that crossed Shelby County

57 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Tennessee.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 21, 20196:34 AM CDTEF1Shelby7.4250$1.5 million
April 28, 20146:46 AM CDTEF0Shelby1.575$25,000
May 1, 201010:47 PM CDTEF1Shelby0.6100$10,000
July 30, 20094:49 PM CDTEF1Shelby2.0250$250,000
June 12, 20095:00 PM CDTEF1Shelby0.130$25,000
February 5, 20086:02 PM CSTEF0Shelby4.950$50,000
February 5, 20085:32 PM CSTEF1Tipton to MS0.350$50,000
February 5, 20085:32 PM CSTEF2DeSoto to TN10.2440313$128 million
February 5, 20085:00 PM CSTEF2Shelby8.11501$1.0 million
June 17, 20066:35 PM CDTF1Shelby0.350$100,000
April 22, 200410:25 AM CDTF0Shelby0.1100$30,000
January 22, 19994:25 AM CSTF1Shelby3.5100$300,000
May 15, 199510:45 AM CDTF0Shelby0.523$500 to $5,000
November 27, 19943:15 PM CSTF3Shelby16.0200325$5 million to $50 million
June 9, 19941:10 PM CDTF1Shelby5.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 199412:58 PM CDTF0Shelby0.510$500 to $5,000
March 18, 19928:20 AM CSTF0Shelby1.550$5,000 to $50,000
November 19, 19915:05 PM CSTF1Shelby10.050$500,000 to $5 million
March 27, 19911:20 PM CSTF1Shelby0.550$50 to $500
November 7, 19898:00 PM CSTF0Shelby0.517$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19898:00 PM CDTF1Shelby2.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19897:30 PM CDTF2Shelby7.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 22, 19885:30 PM CDTF0Shelby3.050$500 to $5,000
December 14, 19879:40 PM CSTF3Crittenden to TN25.02006121$5 million to $50 million
April 21, 19845:17 PM CSTF3Shelby3.0203$500,000 to $5 million
November 23, 19836:50 AM CSTF1Shelby2.080$50,000 to $500,000
December 25, 19824:00 AM CSTF2Shelby2.077$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 197911:30 PM CSTF2Shelby1.0503$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19787:05 PM CDTF2Shelby2.010026$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19733:35 AM CDTF2Shelby2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 22, 19735:00 PM CDTF1Shelby0.3100$500 to $5,000
May 11, 19731:15 PM CDTF1Shelby0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 197310:15 AM CSTF1Shelby1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19726:25 PM CSTF1Shelby0.320
June 19, 197010:05 PM CDTF1Shelby0.1101$500 to $5,000
April 24, 19703:35 AM CSTF3Shelby10.4503$500,000 to $5 million
April 24, 19703:28 AM CSTF3DeSoto to TN12.35018$500,000 to $5 million
April 24, 19703:20 AM CSTF3Shelby17.0505$500,000 to $5 million
April 19, 197010:45 AM CSTF2Shelby0.350$50,000 to $500,000
April 1, 19704:20 PM CSTF1Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 24, 19693:30 AM GMT-5F1Shelby0.510$5,000 to $50,000
September 17, 19686:15 PM GMT-5F2Shelby0.310$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19684:00 PM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110
May 16, 19682:50 AM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110
May 16, 19682:15 AM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 196812:20 AM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110
April 3, 19689:45 PM GMT-6F3Shelby28.81,760432$500,000 to $5 million
July 5, 19673:25 PM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19673:53 PM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110$500,000 to $5 million
April 23, 19678:45 PM GMT-6F1Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 19678:00 PM GMT-6F1Shelby0.1102$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19664:00 AM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 196411:00 PM GMT-5F1Shelby0.313$50,000 to $500,000
March 4, 196410:00 AM GMT-6F2Shelby7.62003$5,000 to $50,000
July 21, 19566:15 PM GMT-5F1Shelby0.210$500 to $5,000
October 28, 19551:00 PM GMT-5F2Shelby0.2100$50,000 to $500,000
February 13, 19501:00 AM GMT-6F1Shelby0.2108$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Shelby CountyThe forecast for Shelby CountyThe live radar over Shelby CountyEvery county in Tennessee

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.